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1970s America – An Indian student’s journey
Anil K Rajvanshi
Director
Nimbkar Agricultural Research Institute (NARI)
Phaltan – 415523, Maharashtra, India
This is the story of a young idealistic student of IIT Kanpur who in 1974 at the age of 24 went
to USA to pursue higher education. He left a very lucrative career in US to come back and
work in rural India in 1981 and in the process of developing technologies for rural
applications discovered himself.
Dr. Anil K. Rajvanshi has written in an engaging and lively style the memoirs of his stay and
experiences in America in 1970s. It is an inspiring story and should appeal to all Indians
including non-resident Indians (NRIs) and students aspiring to go abroad and who want to
make a difference in India, especially the rural India.
An advance copy of the book was put on the web and it elicited tremendous positive
response worldwide.
Paperback. 166 pages
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Preface
I went to US for higher education in 1974 and came back to rural India in 1981. This is the
story of my experiences in America in the 1970s both as a graduate student and as a faculty.
America in 1970s was a very nice, open and courteous society and I really enjoyed the
graduate student experience. I have tried to capture it as best as possible based upon my
30 year-old memories. If any event or names of people and places have been wrongly
depicted then I apologize for the mistakes and blame it on my failing memory rather than any
intentional misrepresentation.
As one grows older there is an urge to pen down the experiences that have shaped ones life.
My stay in US was one such experience.
It has been little more than 25 years since I came back to India. In late 1981 when I
returned, rarely any Indian with an IIT degree came back. Even the few who did come back
went to big cities like Bombay, Delhi, Bangalore etc. I went straight to rural Maharashtra
which was as alien to me as any foreign country since I hardly knew the local language or
the milieu! This was so as I had mostly spent my life staying in cities in Northern India.
Why did I do it and was it worth it? This is what I have tried narrating in the epilogue.
This is also the story of my self-discovery and I have always thanked the higher forces for
giving me a place in rural Maharashtra - no matter how small - where I could think deeply on
various issues including that of rural development, work on them and write about them.
I really thank my wife Nandini and my younger daughter Madhura who went through the
narrative with a fine-tooth comb. Many thanks are also due to Sitaram Ramaswamy, Harish
Rao and Keith Ingram for sending their comments and suggestions on the manuscript and
Sujit Patwardhan for designing the cover. I thank Sanjay Aherrao for typing innumerable
versions of the draft and the team of Sujit Patwardhan and N.A.Kulkarni of Mudra for printing
the book.
Anil K Rajvanshi,
Phaltan, November 2007
For what I did after coming to Phaltan has been written in a new book entitled “Romance of
Innovation – A human interest story of doing R&D in rural setting”. This book is available on
the internet.
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Table of contents
1. Government of India Scholarship
2. The Preparation
3. Landing in America
4. Campus Life
5. Brush with Greatness
Eulogy of my professor Dr. Erich Farber.
6. India Association
7. Marriage
Please click here for a recent story regarding this in UF campus paper
8. Looking for a Better School?
9. Exploring America
10. Graduate Studies
11. Teaching at UF
12. Decision to Go Back to India
13. Epilogue
US Photos
Book Review
Press clippings about the book (1, 2)
Book release function
The book is priced at Rs. 150/- for Indian customers and US$ 15/- for International
consumers. The book is available from the Institute. Please click here to buy it online.
©Copyright. Anil K Rajvanshi, 2007
ISBN 978-81-905781-1-0
Published by Nimbkar Agricultural Research Institute (NARI)
P.O.Box 44, Phaltan - 415523, Maharashtra, India
(All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means, electronic
or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, putting on the web or by any information storage
and retrieval system, without the written permission of the publisher)
All proceeds of the sale of this book will go towards the charitable purpose of setting up a Center of
Sustainable Development at NARI.
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